In recent years the popularity of hand-held electronic games has increased substantially. Typically these games have a display screen on which images of the game can be displayed, and control switches which allow the player to manipulate the images. Often such switches include a joystick or joypad assembly with directional controls for the images, as well as "fire" buttons that enable certain game features to be activated.
Typical of prior art hand-held electronic game assemblies and of the joypad controllers used for image control is the device set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,200 to Shirai. In the Shirai patent a joypad mounting assembly is disclosed which enables control of images on the game screen in a manner similar to a joystick. The joypad is built into the housing of the game apparatus and protrudes slightly from the housing by a distance sufficient to enable manual manipulation, usually by the thumb of the user.
Still more recently, hand-held electronic game assemblies have become more popular as a result of the ability to use ROM-cards in combination with the hand-held apparatus to greatly increase the variety and complexity of games that can be played. As the versatility and capacity of such game equipment increases, players tend to use the game equipment for longer and longer periods of time.
Prior electronic game apparatus, however, have been found to have certain ergonomic disadvantages. First, such game apparatus are typically constructed for use by right-handed players. Thus, left-handed players are at a disadvantage, particularly when the same game equipment is used in competitions between two players. Moreover, even for right-handed players, there is usually only one set of hand positions that are suitable for holding the game and operating the various control switches. Accordingly, player fatigue often is the result of the single-position ergonomics of conventional electronic game apparatus.
Finally, prior hand-held electronic game apparatus housings have not been well matched to the user's hands. Typically, the hand-held games are contained in generally rectangular housings, and they are held in the palm of one hand while the other hand manipulates the control switches. Alternatively, the larger electronic game apparatus can be hand-held or placed on a support surface during game operation.
The housing itself, however, is not adapted for gripping, and as a result the gripping pressure on such housings is usually undesirably high. Thus, gripping of hand-held game assembly housings can produce fatigue and interfere with manipulation of the various control switches.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held electronic game apparatus which is constructed to allow play by both right-handed and left-handed players.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held electronic game apparatus which can be rotated by 180.degree. to invert the position of the control switching assemblies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic game apparatus which can be hand-held in a plurality of hand positions while still permitting the user easy access to operate the control switches.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held electronic game apparatus which is easier to grip and has ergonomically efficient positions for the control switches.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held electronic game apparatus in which the screen may be horizontally or vertically oriented during play of the game.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held electronic game apparatus which is easy to use, has improved control switch positioning, is relatively inexpensive to construct and reduces user fatigue.
The hand-held invertible electronic game apparatus of the present invention has other objects and features of advantage which will become apparent from and are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawing and following description of the Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention.